Whether
you are a classroom or preservice teacher, teacher educator,
content leader, department chair, or administrator, the materials
below can assist you in implementing the practices presented
in the video clip.

Reader's Theater Resources
Consider using this creative and dramatic approach to literature
instruction, where students' interpretations affect their
read-alouds, from voice inflection to body language, and the
use of props. The possibilities are endless. Visit the following
links to learn more about Reader's Theater:

Resources focused on Building a Literary Community
Access these resources produced by the National
Research Center on English Learning and Achievement. Information
about scaffolding instruction, strategies for improving literary
understanding, and including struggling readers is provided.
Use these resources as you begin to assess your own classroom
success in helping students create envisionments.

Dorothy Franklin prepared this reflection on participating with her students in this professional development video series. This article was originally published in the November-December, 2001 issue of The Voice, the newsletter of the National Writing Project, and is made available at this site with their permission. For more information about the National Writing Project, please visit their Web site at http://www.writingproject.org/.

Ms. Franklin cites this article as the inspiration for her seminar rules and participation rubric that she offers as part of her classroom lesson plan.

Text Pairings
As you begin to plan literature experiences for your students,
consider offering text pairings, so that students have a rich
palette of text background and reading experiences to draw
upon in their literary conversations. Some texts that may
complement the ones used in this classroom lesson plan include:

Short stories:
"Thank You M'am" by Langston Hughes
"Everyday Use" by Alice Walker

Poetry:
"Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes
"Mi Madre" by Pat Mora

Novels:Go Tell It on the Mountain by James BaldwinRoll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. TaylorLet the Circle Be Unbroken by Mildred D. TaylorThe Bluest Eye by Toni MorrisonUncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

Plays:A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine HansberryThe Piano Lesson by August WilsonFences by August Wilson

Non-fiction:
William and Ellen Craft's slave narrative "Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom" (1860)